The Inventor, prior to applying for this Letters Patent, caused to be conducted a patentability investigation which generated the following prior patented approaches:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Date ______________________________________ Maggi 2,344,920 March 21, 1944 Wood et al. 2,665,686 Jan. 12, 1954 Wood et al. 2,667,161 Jan. 26, 1954 Romann 3,818,510 June 25, 1974 McGee et al. 3,945,044 March 23, 1976 ______________________________________
The patent issued to Romann on June 25, 1974, as U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,510 teaches the use of a frost-free face and head enclosure which is designed to maintain a substantially frost-free condition for enhanced visibility by the user. Specifically, by reference to FIG. 1, Romann's "safety helmet" discloses the use of an isolating chamber 18 which contains a check valve 22 and hoses 26 which cooperate with the breathing of the user to expell hot, moist air from the environment around the face mask 12.
The patent issued to Maggi on Mar. 21, 1944, as U.S. Pat. No. 2,344,920 which does not have full head coverage, teaches the use of exit tube 24 to remove exhaled air from the region of the face to the area of the clothing of the wearer or into the hood at the back of the head. Maggi also provides a discharge valve 28.
The patents issued to Wood, et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,665,686 and 2,667,161 disclose similar face masks specifically designed for reducing the temperature of cold being inhaled. The Scott patent teaches the use of a goggle frame specifically designed to include a detachable partial face shield section as shown in FIG. 1.
In essence, the patents issued to Maggi and Romann teach the use of protective masks which remove hot, moist air from the region around the nose and mouth conveyed through tubes to a remote region near the body of the user. However, neither Maggi or Romann teach the use of a fog or frost eliminator specifically designed for ski use. Furthermore, none of the above prior art approaches teach the use of a protective covering form fitted around the head, the neck and partial shoulder area of the user for protection from the cold and to accommodate heating of air in tubes before inhaling. In addition, the present invention contemplates using a flexible protective material so that the user can easily move or orient his head from one angular position to another rapidly and quickly. Furthermore, none of the above prior art approaches teach the use of a protective lens mounted in such a protective covering that is adapted to fit over corrective glasses of a user. Additionally, none of the above prior art approaches teach the use of a separate strap attached to the nose and mouth cup for firmly securing said cup into position. Furthermore, the present invention as hereinafter described, does not use any moving parts which can freeze-up or otherwise malfunction. This is necessary since the user, as he skis, as mentioned, twists his neck from side to side rapidly. By using a separate restraining strap for the cup, virtually no moist warm air from the nose and mouth area is delivered upwardly into the goggle area. It is believed that these comprise major advantages over the above prior patented approaches in that the present invention is specifically designed to be adapted for skiing use and its particular problems associated therewith.